Posted: 20th Apr, 2005 By: MarkJ
BT's chief executive for wireless broadband, Chris Clark, has spoken of his fear that the security scare stories surrounding Wi-Fi technology could hamper its uptake:
"We can be optimistic that journalists want to talk about the security issues around wireless it shows it is becoming mainstream," said Clark. "That said, if we are not fairly clever, we will have an issue on our hands. There is security if we take the right steps, but this PR could get very negative for us".
Despite growing awareness of the issue, some consumer wireless devices are still being sold with security options such as encryption switched off by default. This can make it extremely easy for hackers to access a wireless network.
However, Clark said the wireless industry was still in its infancy and there was still a great deal of work to be done to improve consumer's experience of using the technology. "I don't think it's safe to say we're a mature industry, we've still got some way to go."BTs comments are understandable, especially when the solution is more likely to be in the hands of Wi-Fi hardware and software manufacturers than theirs. More @
ZDNet.